The Swoop of the Falcon
by JillDragon
Summary: A series of short fics about Beast Wars' Airazor originally written for the transformer100 lj community.
1. Rain

**Disclaimer:** Beast Wars and all the characters therein are property of Hasbro, not me (in case there were ever any doubts).

**Author's Notes:** This collection of ficlets was originally written for the Transformer100 lj community (community./tformers100/profile). The theme I chose for Airazor was the 'Weather' prompt table.

I'm following the info in the BW prequel comic 'Dawn of Future's Past' in which Airazor and Tigatron both had lives on Cybertron but lost their memories when they were injured saving the _Axalon_ right before the ship went through the timewarp at the begining of the series.

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**1. Rain**

"So what do you guys miss most about Cybertron?" Cheetor asked. They were all gathered in the _Axalon's_ control room more out of boredom than out of any real desire to socialize. The Predacons had been remarkable quiet for the past two weeks and Airazor had taken the opportunity to return to base to deliver Tigatron's report from his observation post in the north.

She had arrived just in time to avoid getting soaked by a sudden downpour. She should have remembered that this time of year was considered the region's rainy season. The weather had the added effect of keeping everyone inside as it was miserable enough that no one wanted to go out unless they had to.

"Peaceful neighbors," Rhinox grumbled, giving the piece of machinery he was repairing – damaged in the last Predacon attack – a solid thump for emphasis.

"Heh, don't we all, Big Green?" Rattrap asked rhetorically, "Me? I miss a good mug of high-grade an' girls wi' no hang-ups dat know how t' have a good time."

"Such pointless reminiscing is foolish," Dinobot hissed, giving Rattrap a disdainful glare, "It only distracts us from the goal of defeating Megatron and winning the Beast Wars."

"Aw come on Dinobot, there has to be _something_ you miss about back home," Cheetor wheedled. Airazor had to admire the kid's bravery if not his sense in pestering the ill-tempered Dinobot.

"Eh, Chomperface's just sayin' dat 'cause everyone knows Predacons don' know how to enjoy anythin'," Rattrap snickered.

Dinobot growled but before things could escalate Optimus intervened, "Enough, Rattrap," he said warningly, giving the small Maximal a hard look.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Boss Monkey," Rattrap grumbled.

"The gladiator pits in the Predacon sectors were…stimulating," Dinobot said abruptly. Airazor could see his optics dart back and forth and knew that the ex-Predacon wasn't being entirely truthful, but at least it was an answer.

"Go figure the only thing a Pred would miss is killin' other bots," Rattrap interjected.

Airazor sat back in her chair, content to listen to the conversation without being a part of it. Cheetor didn't ask her, of course, because he knew she had no memory of Cybertron nor anything else before her emergence from her stasis pod here on this planet. She sometimes got flashbacks of flying free in space and a ship called the _Chromia 10_ but they were all so terribly disjoined Airazor wasn't even sure if they were real or a product of her imagination.

There were times like these when Airazor was forcibly aware of the differences between her and Tigatron, and the rest of the Maximals. The others, Cheetor, Optimus they had a history and a home to hold onto, something to fight for. What did she have?

But she stayed silent, listening with amusement as the conversation degenerated into an insulting match between Dinobot and Rattrap while the rain drummed loudly on the metal roof of the ship.

She didn't want to rain on their parade.


	2. Hail

**Disclaimer:** Beast Wars and all the characters therein are property of Hasbro, not me (sadly)

**Author's Note:** This is why aerial combat in a hailstorm is a very _baaaad_ idea kids!

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**2. Hail**

Predacons always chose the worst weather conditions to attack in, Airazor thought as she simultaneously fought the air currents that sought to spin her around and dodged a volley of shots from Terrorsaur.

"Ahahaha, prepared to be roasted, bird-brain!" the red Predacon laughed rancorously as he dove after her.

Airazor barrel-rolled sharply to the left and Terrorsaur shot by close enough to reach out and touch. She fired several shots after him but the powerful winds that lashed the darkening clouds disrupted her aim and she wasn't sure if any of her shots connected.

Fighting the powerful updrafts that threatened to send her shooting upwards into the roiling mass of storm-clouds Airazor tried to get her bearings. _Okay, there's one flier but where's the other?_ she thought. The Predacon fliers almost always patrolled together and it wasn't like Terrorsaur to attack without backup.

A sizzling shot that passed close enough to singe her wing answered that question. "Why Bird-bot zzo hard to hit?" Waspinator buzzed in frustration.

Before Airazor could think of a suitable come-back something hard struck her left wing sending a painful jolt through her entire frame. Thinking she had been shot, she slide-slipped into a sharp dive intended to throw off an enemy's targeting scanner. Something else caught her a stinging blow to her shoulder, and feeling it slide down her chest, she grabbed it. Looking down, she realized that she was holding a large ball of ice.

There was a loud _Clang!_ "Ouch! What the Pit?!" Terrorsaur yelped somewhere up above her and there was an answering cry of pain from his wingmate.

Airazor looked up and saw more ice falling from the greenish-tinged clouds in a lethal rain. She remembered Tigatron telling her about a weather phenomenon on this planet called 'hail'. She ducked her head and shielded it with her arms just in time to avoid getting clocked in the face with a hailstone. More ice struck her wings and back as the hail intensified. _This is crazy, I can't fly in this mess! _she thought, fighting down panic. The only consolation was the Terrorsaur and Waspinator must be having similar trouble. Hopefully they would be too busy keeping from being knocked out of the sky to shoot her.

Flying out of the storm proved to be impossible, the hail seemed to intensify no matter what direction she flew and there was no sign of clear skies anywhere. Airazor knew she'd have to land or risk being badly damaged. Her head hunched down and her wings pulled in as tightly as she could, she dropped below the clouds scanning the ground for some place she could take shelter.

The savannah was devoid of trees and brush or anything else that might shield her from the hail. Finally her keen vision spotted a rock outcrop that jutted out over the plains, creating an overhang. It would have to do. She dove for the overhang, not caring about anything except getting out of this horrible, painful weather.

It took her optics a few moments to adjust to the dark, so Airazor didn't realize at first that she wasn't alone. Then two sets of glowing optics met hers accompanied by a startled _Buzz_ that could only be Waspinator.

_Aw no_, the thought of another skirmish when all she wanted to do was get out of the hail storm and nurse her injuries made her heart sink. And this was the only shelter for miles around. She stared blankly at the two Predacons and they stared right back.

As her optics adjusted she could see that Waspinator's delicate insect wings had been practically shredded and that Terrorsaur had a large dent in his helm and one optic wasn't working properly, fritzing in and out. Airazor imagined that she didn't look much better, her wings and back felt like a solid mass of dents some of which were bleeding; energon occasionally dripping off her wingtips onto the ground.

Terrorsaur tried to sit up straighter and clutch his head in agony, "Owwww…. Truce?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant but coming across as plaintive, "Just until the storm is over?"

Waspinator nodded emphatically in agreement giving Airazor a mournful look, "Wazzpinator not want to get chased out into ice zztorm. Will be good. Wazzpinator promises."

They looked so pathetic sitting there that Airazor couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for them, even if they _had_ attacked her. "Alright boys," she finally agreed, smiling wryly, "Just until the storm ends."


	3. Snow

**Disclaimer:** Beast Wars and all the characters therein are property of Hasbro, do I _look_ like Hasbro?!

**Author's Note:** Takes place during season 1. Airazor has always struck me as someone with a strong sense of fun, Tigatron not as much, but I figure he has to cut loose once in awhile. His beast mode is a feline after all, and they like to play. ;)**

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**3. Snow**

Winter came early to the northern mountains, as Airazor found on her way to a meeting with Tigatron. Snow began falling in big, fat flakes, sticking to her feathers and getting into her eyes. It was a real nuisance, slowing her beast mode's flight-speed to half of what it would be on a good day. Unknown to her, peregrine falcons often migrated to warmer climes during the winter, not being fond of harsh winters as a species.

Arriving at the arranged coordinates, Airazor alighted on a rock, fluffing up her feathers against the cold.

There was a gentle laugh and she turned to see Tigatron, in his white tiger form, loping gracefully through the snow. She noticed that his beast mode's large paws served to keep him from sinking into the large snowdrifts that blanketed the mountainside.

"I can see you aren't fond of this weather," he said with a knowing smile.

"Well unlike you, my beast mode doesn't have a thick coat of fur to keep me warm," she shot back. Airazor tried to sound huffy but she couldn't keep the smile from her face, she never could when she was with Tigatron. "Right now I have to say I'm jealous of you," she teased.

"The snow is my element just as the sky is yours," was the serene answer. There was an ironic tilt to his head, "I have, on occasion, wished for wings." The tiger paused and sniffed the air, gazing into the mist-shrouded forest, "I can smell more snow on the air. Come; let us go someplace more sheltered."

"Sounds good to me," she agreed readily. As she watched him stride away through the trees, his back to her, a mischievous idea began to form in her mind.

Tigatron gave a startled yelp as a ball of snow impacted him right between the ears and whirled around to face her. Airazor, transformed into a robot mode, her arm still following through with a throwing motion, grinned and winked at him.

"That was _very_ unwise," he said solemnly.

"Oh, why's that?" Airazor asked innocently, clearly fighting back a giggle.

A sly grinned appeared on his face, "Because it only encourages me to retaliate!" He transformed to robot mode and immediately scooped up a handful of ammunition.

Airazor gave a shriek of laughter and ducked behind a tree. It was _exactly_ the answer she'd been hoping for.


	4. Sun

**Disclaimer:** Beast Wars and all the characters therein are property of Hasbro. So don't sue, I need the money for tuition fees.

**Author's Note:** This is my interpretation of pre-Beast Wars Airazor (aka Wing Saber) inspiration for which was, once again, taken from the BW prequel comic 'Dawn of Future's Past'. It's an awesome comic and the Airazor/Tigatron bits made me squee with joy, go read it if you can get ahold of it. **

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**

**per·e·grine** (Definition)  
_  
adj.  
_**1. **Foreign; not native; extrinsic or from without; exotic; alien.  
**2. **Roving or wandering; migratory.  
_n.  
_Peregrine falcon, a courageous and swift falcon (_Falco peregrinus_), remarkable for its wide distribution over all the continents

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**4. Sun**

The light of even a foreign sun was welcome to Wing Saber after having spent so much time in deep space. She checked her chronometer; she was right on time for the delivery. Maybe if she got business wrapped up quickly with the colony leaders she'd have a bit of time to get out and stretch her legs before returning to space.

She mentally counted the number of different systems she'd visited in the course of her (admitedly rather sort) life. Including this one it was thirty-seven in total - though she'd been to many of them more than once. That made thirty-seven different suns that she'd seen.

Other Maximals tended to shake their heads at her. Perhaps it was some quirk of programming but Maximals as a race tended to be homebodies, some of them spending their whole lives without seeing the light of any sun but their own. They looked upon explorers and nomads like herself with a combination of fascination and distrust. What was a young, intelligent female like her doing wandering the galaxy alone in a small, rather beat-up ship, delivering supplies to Cybertron's most far-flung colonies? Why was she risking her life when her skills could so easily be turned towards being a productive member of society?

Wing Saber always laughed off their concerns; even at a young age she'd been a wanderer at spark and her relentless desire for exploration and adventure had driven her creators half mad. As an adult, if she stayed too long in one place she started to get restless and a feeling similar to claustrophobia entered her processors. So it was always with a sense of relief that she stepped back onto the _Chromia 10_. There was an understanding between her and the _Chromia_, only Wing Saber knew her way around the light freighter's temperamental systems and only she was able to coax the ship to perform _that_ much better.

They were the perfect team and Wing Saber was firmly convinced they could handle anything that came their way. They didn't _need_ anyone else. But, she reflected as she turned the freighter onto the final, guided approach to the landing pad, some company once in awhile wouldn't go amiss. It might be nice for once to have some other Cybertronian by her side who actually understood her wanderlust and didn't seek to try and bind her wings.


	5. Cloud

**Author's Notes: **Airazor wanted something red for Valentine's day so I decided to oblige her. XD Crack!Pairing is inspired by a drawing posted by Atron on Deviant Art: http:// atron. deviantart. com /art /BW-Lets-dance-56558851 (remove the spaces).

I spent several hours reading about the mating displays of certain birds of prey (like falcons) and I tried to incorporate that into this fic. And yes, to answer your question, I _do_ have too much spare time on my hands.**

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**5. Cloud**

"Why, fancy meeting you here!" a familiar, discordant voice hailed her.

Airazor hovered in place, "Don't act like you're surprised, we both know better," she retorted, hands on her hips.

"Aww, don't be like that. I know you're just dazzled by my flying skills." Terrorsaur tilted his head and gave her a grin he probably thought looked charming, although Airazor found it more smarmy than anything else.

To his obvious surprise, in answer Airazor flipped into a dive that came so close Terrorsaur could feel her talons rake lightly along his back. He squawked and flailed his wings, roiling up the clouds that concealed them.

"Yes, I'm just _overwhelmed_ by your elite skills," she said dryly, flicking a wingtip at him tauntingly.

"Why you…!" he hissed, optics flaring with something fierce and hungry. He lunged for her, but Airazor twisted away, darting into the clouds.

He could have easily located her with his scanners but that would spoil the game. So he followed, mirroring her movements with his own as she wove in and out of the cloudbanks.

Cool vapor caressed Airazor through her feathers. Her keen vision was less of an asset here in these dense clouds, but she didn't miss it. Flying near-blind heightened her other senses, honing her hearing and tactile senses razor-sharp. She could _feel_ the displaced air roil around Terrorsaur and she struck at him, darting in close enough to brush against his wings making him shiver and falter visibly. She wasn't fast enough though, and he caught her arm, swinging her around, against him.

"You always did have two left feet," he mocked her, giving her that smirk that made her want to punch his face in.

Instead she settled for giving him a knee in the stomach, not hard enough to damage, but hard enough to force him release her. She wasn't willing to be caught yet.

"Slag you!" he gave her a murderous look, but she was once again out of his reach and the only thing he could do was pursue.

They danced around each other in an intricate swirl of wings and motion, the steps dictated by nothing save their own sparks. It was an extension of the same dance that occurred between them every time the Maximals and Predacons clashed, only this time there were no weapons, no torn hide or burnt feathers. There were no Maximals or Predacons here; just the clouds and that glorious sky that seemed to stretch on forever.

They followed a familiar pattern; he would lunge and she would evade, flying upwards just out of reach where he would lunge for her again. The pace of the dance picked up as they flew upward in an ever-tightening spiral, twining around each other, bare inches between their bodies. The brush of a wing, the caress of a hand across the abdomen; it was all part of the dance. The spiral tightened as they shot upward through the cloud layers, bringing them closer with each wing beat until finally at the apex of the spiral they were in each others arms.

Airazor laughed, a bright, wild sound, "I knew you couldn't resist me!" she said, and Terrorsaur chuckled breathlessly in response. Then as they broke through the clouds and into the bright sunlight she abruptly cut off her thrusters and at the same time pressed her body to his. The wind howled in their audios as they plummeted downwards, only gravity controlling their flight. The air was sharply cold yet at the same time cushioning and Airazor kissed Terrorsaur with hungry exhilaration.

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Far below on the ground someone was watching the pair as they danced through the air like metallic birds. His spark almost stopped when he saw the intertwined bodies fall to what looked like certain death. At the last moment they broke apart and ignited their thrusters, each pulling up into level flight. The bright red form was easy to identify as it danced through the clouds, his more drably coloured partner slightly less so.

Waspinator pouted "Why Terrorbot get all the chickz?" he muttered, kicking a rock in dejection.


	6. Storm

**6. Storm**

The winds in the mountains were vicious things, especially compared to the sedate, wet-season storms down on the plains. They twisted and howled their way around the rough, desolate peaks; fierce, treacherous things that could smash a flier to pieces on the unforgiving ground or drive her hundreds of kliks off course.

Not for the first time Airazor cursed the bad timing of Optimus' call for back up. It had come when she was almost out of range of the base's com system and on her way to find Tigatron. But then the Predacons likely knew that; she had suspected that Terrorsaur had been trailing her yesterday, spying out her movements. And Megatron had seized on the opportunity to attack the Maximals. After all, he had all _his_ forces with him on the _Darksyde_ giving him a two-fighter advantage.

Thunder rumbled and the black, ominous clouds flickered and flashed with lightening. The sensible thing to do, of course, would be to land and find cover or try to fly around the bad weather, but she didn't have that luxury. The storm's path lay directly between her and the _Axalon_ and she wasn't going to let a little wind stop her – not when her friends' lives were in danger.

The wind twisted under her wings like a living creature, trying to dash her from the sky. She could sense by the changes in the air that the rain was coming soon, although at this altitude it was more likely to be cold sleet. _It doesn't matter_ she told herself, _I can live with that just so long as the lightening doesn't-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a brilliant flash and an explosive ***boom*** as a bolt of lightening struck one of the mountain peaks, sending an avalanche of rock down its side, followed by a rumbling roar of thunder that seemed to shake the very air.

Airazor was shaken despite herself, _Tigatron warned me,_ she thought numbly, _he told me to wait out the storm when I reached him on the com, but I didn't listen…_

But she knew that Tigatron tended to take a different view of fighting than the other Maximals did. He had tried to discourage her from attacking the Predacons before, although never while the lives of the _Axalon's_ crew were in danger. She shook off that uncomfortable train of thought; Tigatron would never deliberately allow harm to come to any of the Maximals, she _knew_ that.

Another harsh gust of wind tried to buffet the falcon around, bringing with it a spray of ice-cold rain. Airazor wanted to transform badly, but baring metal in a lightening storm was never a good idea. _I can't let this beat me,_ she told herself, feeling determination swell in her chest, _I_ won't_! And I won't allow any harm to come to Optimus or Cheetor or any of the others because I wasn't there!_

The wind howled with renewed fury like it had sensed her determination and wanted to thwart her. Thunder roared and rain and sleet came down in torrents, but Airazor didn't waver from her course, and the falcon shrieked her defiance into the storm.


End file.
